1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to mixing mats such as for mixing cement and, more particularly, to a flexible mixing mat including fanning corners with handles.
2. General Background
Supplies for do-it-your-self home improvements has become big business and readily accessible to all. Most supply depots even provide instructions for carrying out just about any home improvement imaginable. However, some of the home improvements may require complex machinery for preparing the materials. One such material is cement. Cement can be mixed in small batches for creating small foundations or other structures as desired. However, the cement must be mixed. Typically cement is a powdery composition which is to be mixed with water to form the cement. However, as the powdery composition must be mixed to fully dissolve all the powder of the composition.
Several apparatuses have been patented which are aimed at cement mixing devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,636, issued to W. L. Payne, entitled “MIXING MAT FOR CONCRETE,” discloses an apparatus and a method for mixing dry pre-blended cement compositions. The apparatus comprises a flexible mixing mat (being of either a rectangular or ovoid shape) having a central basin, a skirt, pouring lip and a handle in each of the corners near the mat's edge. The method or process includes mixing water with a pre-blended bag of cement in the central basin, then having two persons pick up mat by the corner handles and agitate the mixture by raising and lowering the handles and finally pouring the mixture from the mat via the pouring lip.
International Application (PCT) Publication No. WO 89/00884 filed by K. Eriksson, entitled “MIXING DEVICE,”discloses an apparatus and method comprising a tube or mat having holes which form handles at the ends of the tube so that a batch of cement placed in the interior of the tube can be mixed by manually agitating the tube.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,219, entitled “PROCESS FOR MANUALLY MIXING CEMENT,” and No. 4,470,703, entitled “PROCESS FOR MIXING AND RETARDING CURE OF CEMENT,” both of which are issued to B. W. Nickerson, disclose processes for manually mixing batches of dry cement and water in a pliable bag closed before mixing.
Other patents in the art include U.S. Pat. No. 2,323,444, issued to Rochford et al., entitled “MIXING MACHINE” and U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,100, issued to Kleinbans, entitled “METHOD OF MIXING PROPELLANT CHARGE POWDER RODS” which do not meet the needs of the present invention.